Holiday Food for Poor Offered

Several religious and charity organizations, primarily in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, will be offering free Christmas meals and food baskets to low-income and homeless people. Some groups will also be handing out wrapped gifts, clothes and toys.

Here are some of the events planned:

Toys and other presents will be handed out at the New Gethsemane Church's turkey and ham Christmas dinner for the needy. The church is at 177 W. Monterey Ave., Pomona. Volunteers are needed beginning at 10 a.m.; the meal will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

A coalition of five Pomona churches will hold a ham dinner and will distribute gifts, clothes and hygiene items for the homeless. The party will be held at the First Baptist Church of Pomona, 601 N. Garey Ave., Pomona, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers are needed to serve and hand out items and should arrive by noon.

Redeemer Lutheran Church of Rowland Heights will hold a Christmas Day party on the grounds of the New Gethsemane Church in Pomona, including dinner and gift-giving. Clothes will also be handed out. No volunteers are needed. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Union Station, an organization that helps the homeless and the hungry throughout the year, needs volunteers to help serve a Christmas Day meal at noon Tuesday in Pasadena's Central Park, 275 S. Raymond Ave. Volunteers are needed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help serve and clean up. Prepared foods in disposable containers are also needed.

Several other organizations need volunteers to help distribute food and gifts to people on their client lists:

The Pomona Valley Council of Churches, which operates assistance programs year-round, needs volunteers to help sort food and pack bags of groceries; 1095 W. Grand Ave., Pomona; volunteers needed from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. today, Friday and Monday.

People's Place, with two locations in Claremont and Pomona, needs people to help wrap and distribute gifts and assemble and hand out Christmas food baskets; 450 W. Holt Ave. in Pomona and 135 W. 1st St. in Claremont; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Saturday.

The Salvation Army needs volunteers to pack grocery bags and to help serve a Christmas Day dinner; 490 E. La Verne Ave., Pomona. Helpers are needed to pack groceries between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. today and Friday . Volunteers can help serve Christmas dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Salvation Army in Pasadena needs people to sort and pack groceries; 1840 Locust St., Pasadena; 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. today and Friday.